There are many ways to contribute to the life of Bethesda Friends Meeting, such as regular attendance at Meeting for Worship, speaking in Meeting for Worship, greeting newcomers with warmth and enthusiasm, bringing flowers for the center of Meeting, helping with hospitality or in the child care room, teaching religious education classes, serving on a committee, and contributing financially.

We measure our financial health less in terms of the amount donated than in the participation of everyone in Meeting.

Bethesda Friends Meeting donates all proceeds, over and above what is required for the operation of the Meeting, to deserving causes.

About 40 percent of our annual budget supports Friends schools, Quaker organizations, summer camps, scholarships and many other causes and charities. The remainder sustains the work of our committees, the newsletter, childcare, and other vital activities of the Meeting.

Making a Financial Contribution

Please consider a tax-deductible contribution

By credit card (Donate Online now through PayPal -- a secure method for online financial transactions using your credit card. You will have to set up a PayPal account, but you can use your own credit card.)

Using the online form, you will be prompted to tell us to which specific cause you want your donation to go.

If you have trouble using the Donate Online Now form, please use the Contact Us button below.

By Check (Please use the MEMO LINE to specify where you want us to direct your contribution.)

Please make all checks payable to “Bethesda Friends Meeting”

Use the MEMO LINE to specify where your contribution should be directed.

The Social Concerns Box for July and August is for the Right Sharing of World Resources

This Quaker program was established in 1967 with the notion that well-off people had much to learn from poorer people. We are called to the right sharing of world resources, from the burdens of materialism and poverty to work for equity through partnership with others throughout the world. It provides start-up money to projects that promote self-sufficiency such as the purchase of seeds, well-digging, or the purchase of animals. RSWR continues to provide Friends the means by which we can examine our life of plenty, to provide a practical outlet to assist and empower some of the poorest people in the planet (some of whom are Quakers), and to come to a deeper understanding of economic discipleship as part of our individual and corporate life as a faith community. The RSWR web site has many educational resources for youth as well as adults. The gratitude calendar is especially interesting. For details: www.rswr.org

The Social Concerns Box for September is for the Mary Jane Simpson Scholarship Fund

Each year this fund awards college scholarships to DC public school seniors with high potential, who are coping with difficult backgrounds and have very low incomes. This fund is managed jointly by Bethesda Friends Meeting, Friends Meeting of Washington, and Langley Hill Friends Meeting. BFM plays a vital role in funding, selecting the awardees, and making decisions about the program’s policies and practices. Since the scholarship fund first began, it has awarded 106 scholarships to graduates from 20 DC Public schools. The amount of each scholarship is now $6,000, and each year the program supports about 17 students through their four years of college. Please be generous.

The Social Concerns Box for October is for the Interfaith Housing Coalition

This group provides affordable housing and social services to homeless families in Montgomery County as they transition from homelessness to independence. BFM has been one of the member organizations for more than 25 years. For details: www.iworksmc.org/interfaith-housing-coalition/

The Social Concerns Box for November is for Action in Montgomery

Action in Montgomery (AIM) is the recipient for the Social Concerns Box for November. AIM, of which BFM is a member congregation, continues its advocacy for more affordable housing in the county and has an exciting new initiative to establish after‑school programs in low‑income neighborhood schools, among other actions.

The Social Concerns Box for December is for A Wider Circle

A Wider Circle is the recipient for the Social Concerns Box in December. It is a local non-profit organization that assists individuals and families moving out of shelters to more stable living situations. A Wider Circle also offers intensive courses on job skills, financial planning, stress management, nutrition, and parenting. Its mission is to end poverty. Anyone in need of help can find it there. In one year, A Wider Circle furnished the homes of more than 13,300 children and adults and delivered more than 400 educational programs. They also recycled more than three million pounds of furniture and home goods. More than 10,000 volunteers came to serve at A Wider Circle in 2013, including members of BFM three times that year.

The Social Concerns Box for January is for Smart Card Fund

The
Social Concerns Box for January is the Smart Card Fund of Montgomery County’s
One-Stop Career Center for ex-offenders. This center within the County
Correctional Facility offers a comprehensive program for returning citizens to
help them find gainful employment and reduce the chance of re-offending. It is
linked to a reentry Employment Program at the One-Stop Centers within
Montgomery County. A member of Bethesda Friends Meeting works for this program
and will distribute the Smart cards as needed. The Smart cards give the
ex-offenders an immediate way to access public transportation. Please be
generous with your contributions.

The Social Concerns Box for February is for hunger relief in Montgomery County

The February Social Concerns Box
is for hunger relief programs in Montgomery County (provided by Bethesda Help,
Bethesda Cares, the Manna Food Center, and Shepherd’s Table). Hunger
in our community comes in many forms and is probably more widespread than most
of us realize. (One in four residents of Montgomery County faces food
insecurity.) The February Social Concerns Box is for four hunger relief
programs. BFM has the longest association with
Bethesda Help (bethesdahelp.org). It provides emergency food boxes,
financial assistance for rent and utilities, transportation to medical and
other appointments, and referrals for neighbors in crisis. Manna Food Center
(mannafood.org) provides nutritious food to 3,600 families and thousands of
school children each month. Bethesda Cares (bethesdacares.org) and
Shepherd's Table (shepherdstable.org) serve the homeless (in Bethesda and
Silver Spring respectively). Please support the range of efforts to make our
County hunger-free.

The Social Concerns Box for March is for Women to Women International

Donations to
the Social Concerns Box in March will go to Women
for Women International.
The Peace & Social Justice Committee has agreed to support three women with
notes of encouragement, a monthly stipend, and training as they move from being
survivors of conflict to active citizens engaged in rebuilding their lives and
communities. The program includes financial assistance, leadership training,
technical skills, access to capital and small business development, and the
opportunity to gain support from other sponsored sisters in her community. We
are sponsoring three women from Rwanda, at a cost of $360 per woman per year.
Please be generous with your contributions, and please visit the notewriting
table at the entrance to Meeting during March.

The Social Concerns Box for April is for Ramallah Friends School

The Social Concerns Box for April is for scholarships to the Ramallah Friends School in the West Bank. Most of the money for two scholarships will be raised at Spring Fling, or please contribute to the social concerns box. It is an opportunity for us to help build peace in the Middle East.

The Social Concerns Box for May is for the Literacy Countil of Montgomery County

The Literacy Council has been serving Montgomery County for 52 years. They teach functional literacy skills to 1,500 adults through one-on-one tutoring and classroom
instruction. Each year, over 700 trained volunteer tutors provide basic literacy and ESL instruction to
approximately 900 adult learners, and 600 additional learners participate in intensive ESL classes.
There are typically over 100 adults on the waiting list for services. Contributions help support
LCMC’s free and low-cost programs, and enable program expansion so that more Montgomery
County residents can improve their English literacy and, thus, their lives. For details: www.literacycouncilmcmd.org.

The
Social Concerns Box for June is for a contingency fund for a refugee
family.

The Meeting has agreed to sponsor a refugee family through Lutheran Social Services. The
money will be held in a special account until we are assigned a family,
probably in five or six months. We have committed to furnishing an apartment
and providing other amenities which might require money, so we want to be ready
when the time comes.

Bethesda Friends Meeting

Mailing Address:P.O. Box 30152, Bethesda MD 20824

Our Meetinghouse is on the campus of the Sidwell Friends Lower School at the intersection of Edgemoor Lane and Beverly Road in Bethesda, Maryland